This last week of class was focused on religious congregations and the differences and similarities between them. On Monday we discussed our visits to various religious congregations throughout Redlands, and what we learned and observed during these visits. The number of different congregations that people visited and the similarities and differences between them were fascinating to see all at once. On Wednesday we saw the very last case study presentation on the Mosaic church. This was a really unique and interesting congregation and seeing such an in-depth look at it was a very new experience. Overall the last week was very interesting, and provided an excellent opportunity to experience new spiritual methods and practices and how so many disparate people take their own individual paths to enlightenment and religion. Going into this next week and the classes that come after Midterm, I cannot wait to more closely examine the various ways in which religious groups interact with each other and society at large. This has been a very interesting class, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.
Diversity in Religious Practices
Before we went on Spring Break we each presented on the congregations we visited and had our last book presentation on A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church. The Congregation presentations inspired me to go out and visit more churches in the local Redlands area. There seems to be a lot of unique places where people can come together to worship in an organized fashion. I was so happy to hear that everyone, for the most part, had good experiences going out and doing this little study. I believe that this assignment was a key factor in truly understanding the denominations that we each visited. I visited a Catholic Denomination, that I had no prior knowledge of and now I feel that I have a pretty good idea of what the religion is about.
The last book presentation was one that I really enjoyed because the church has a unique vibe to it. It is located in Los Angeles so it isn’t too far from both school and my home. I am interested in trying it out because it values human uniqueness and welcomes those who are creative. I love the idea of the church but I do not know what I would think of attending it full time. It seems as if it may not be strong in doctrines or worship and focus a lot more on human beings as a whole. Although this is a great concept for those that are after that, it may not be the home for me. That is what is so special about educating ourselves on churches, we become aware of the fact that there is more to the world than just what we practice.
How Religions Influence “Social Change”
In this day and age, it definitely feels relevant to discuss how religions influence “social change”. “Social change” is described by McGuire as “any alteration in the social arrangements of a group or society”, and chapter 7 dives into how religion can impact a society, creating social change.
When thinking about America’s history–and the world’s history, for that matter–it is really interesting to see how specific religions, and religion as a concept, have impacted the given society. Specifically today we can see ways in which religion is impacted American politics and social stratification, which we have been able to discover more about with the Religion in the News write-ups. People discriminate toward others because of the religion that they practice and what their beliefs are. Some also choose to live their lives free of religion, which impacts the society as well. Not in a good or bad way, necessarily, but that is also an interesting aspect of “religious climate” and how it can impact a society and its people. I also think it is interesting to explore the trends we study, and to try and foresee future changes: being able to understand history and ways in which we can improve our society is extremely important. I don’t think it is a good idea to try and force social change per se, but I believe it is good to understand history and how religions have effected society, to try and understand why our society is the way it is today.
Churches, Churches, and More Churches
This week in class we gave oral reports on the churches and synagogues we visited and wrote papers about. We also finished up the last of the case studies that were being presented as well. It was interesting talking about my experience, but it was even more interesting to hear about other peoples’ experiences. A lot of them talked about how friendly and welcoming the people were when they showed up for the services. This was similar to what I experienced. Some went to more traditional churches, others went to more modern ones, and two or three people went to synagogues that were pretty modern too. Some places had a lot of members, others had fewer members. Everyone also talked about what the services were like. Once again, some were done in the more traditional style, others were more informal, less Bible-based, and modern. The most popular church that a number of people went to was the Methodist church down the street. One could argue that these trips were kind of like the case studies we read about and presented in class. In both cases, we were each able to get a glimpse into these other worlds and what they were all about. For instance, the final case study that was presented was about one of the rare multi-ethnic churches that can be found in America. (A Mosaic of Believers, Marti) The book was about what this church was like and how it was able to achieve this in some new and innovative ways. (A Mosaic of Believers, Marti) This case study revealed possible ways in which other churches could become more diverse as well. (A Mosaic of Believers, Marti) In the end, these projects were all about getting a new point of view and a new understanding about different groups of people.
Zen and Trump
Zen master and world-famous spiritual leader, Thich Nhat Hanh expands on some Zen Buddhist principles that can help one successfully cope with Trump. He emphasizes the need to “see” before taking action; this means that one must have stillness and generate compassion and understanding before going forward as a social activist. The goal of this mindfulness is to come to a place of ahisma— or nonviolence that is rooted in a deep sense of love. Brother Phap Dung, a monk at Plum Village, points to a Buddhist teaching of interdependence, meaning that those we perceive to be our biggest enemies can also be our greatest teachers. He argues that “Trump’s grand and vulgar self-absorption is inviting all of us to examine our own selfishness. His ignorance calls us to attend to our own blind spots. The fears that he stokes and the isolation he promotes goad us to be braver, more generous.” In this regard, it might be helpful for some Americans to participate in an unofficial religion, and adopt some Buddhist principles to help them deal with chaos and conflict in the country. This is where I personally love the concept of using elements of religions to help an inner journey, which is labeled as unofficial religion. There is something useful in every religious ideology that can improve people’s lives in ways that their own individual religion might not provide for them. Therefore, I am a huge advocate of recognizing and responding to political and social conflict with dignity, grace, and mindfulness.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/zen-and-the-art-of-activism_us_58a118b6e4b094a129ec59af?section=us_religion
Changing Churches
The younger generation is changing the landscapes of churches by bringing in new ideas of what church could be. This was shown in Reinventing American Protestantism and a Mosaic of Believers. Our generation wants more out of church then just sitting and listening to a person preach. We want to modernize the idea of church, we want to be creative and look at the Bible in a different light. Most churches don’t really like change but these modern churches are adapting to the constant change of modern society. In Sandals, they play loud rock music and dance. These types of churches are either exactly the kind of church you’ve been looking for, or it turns you away completely. For some, it does not seem formal enough to feel like worship. For others it is exactly the kind of worship they have been craving, one that isn’t as stuffy. It seems to shut out much of the older generation because it is so different from normal church worship. The older generation doesn’t seem to connect to the music or the creative side these churches bring in. I don’t feel that this new way of worship will eliminate traditional worship, but I think churches have to accept and implement some of the new ideas so they can attract the younger generation that hasn’t been coming in to fill the pews. Our generation is redefining what church is and it will be interesting to see where churches like Sandals goes in the future.
Church of England is confused over stance on gay marriage
The article I read titled “Church of England Stance on Gay Marriage in Disarray After Vote” from NBC News discusses the conflict within the wider Anglican communion over their views on gay marriage since 2003. Liberal Anglican churches in the west (especially the Episcopal Church in the U.S.) and more conservative Anglican churches (mainly in Africa) have taken different stances on this issue. The Church of England specifically is now divided as well. In January, the House of Bishops issued a report stating that the Church of England would keep its teachings that marriage is between a man and a woman, but the church will also be welcoming and loving toward members of the LBGT community. The report also stated that the Church would no longer bless same-sex marriages. The House of Bishops is only one of 3 parts of the synod, or the Church’s legislature. Another part of the synod, the House of Clergy, voted against this report, so it could not be endorsed by the synod. The vote against the bishops’ carefully worded position on same-sex marriage has caused the synod’s stance to be a little murky.
In my congregation visit at an Anglican church, I had the chance to hear a little bit of the history of the conflicts in the Anglican communion over their stance on same-sex marriage and homosexuality in general. I find it interesting that such a large, established church is having so much conflict and confusion over choosing a stance on this topic. If the ruling legislature of the Church is not sure of their stance, then many of the 85 million members worldwide who probably adopt the Church’s stances as their own are probably very confused about it all. After hearing about all the different congregations that other students went to, I learned that many churches are more liberal and more inclusive than I had previously thought. It will be interesting to see how the Church of England resolves their conflict over this issue.
Progressive Christianity
Last Sunday, I attended a service at the Redlands United Church of Christ. This congregation considers themselves to be a group of “progressive Christians” who on their website “welcome people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations”. Because I have only attended a Catholic church prior to this, the openness of this church really surprised me. Published in the New York Times, Ross Douthat discusses the political leanings of the Pope in his article, “Springtime for Liberal Christianity”. This article discusses how different this Pope has been compared to those in the decades before. Although in interviews he claims to not be left leaning politically, his actions and claims towards sexuality, marriage, and abortion say otherwise. According to the article, many claim that Christianity cannot be liberal. The more liberal they, the further the teachings are from scripture. Although I’m not sure if I personally agree with this because I do not have a background knowledge or further evidence to prove it, the sermon I saw on Sunday demonstrated this claim. The sermon was focused on Black History Month and while God’s equal love for everyone was mentioned, there was a lack of scripture to support it. Because I have only attended one service, I can say that the claim the article made is common or true, but it was interesting to see it played out in a real “progressive” church service.
Neil Gorsuch on Religion
President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S Supreme Court has been announced to be Neil Gorsuch. With a long history serving on the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Gorsuch is clearly qualified for a position on the U.S Supreme court. Taking a look at his record, Gorsuch has upheld constitutional values regarding religious freedom. In one case Gorsuch defended a company’s right to deny health care coverage based on the beliefs of their faith, a controversial issue. Though, Gorsuch has also been noted to be a modest man, close friends, family, and co-workers expressed similar sentiments, stating the Gorsuch was typically reserved about his beliefs, but expressed those beliefs in his actions, specifically through his compassion for those around him. Gorsuch and his family are known to attend a “largely liberal [church] in a largely liberal city”. Growing up Gorsuch was raised catholic and attended mass regularly, but as he grew up he and his family have been attending regularly and have played an active role in church services St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is relatively liberal in practice. If Gorsuch is to officially be appointed the 9th seat on the U.S Supreme Court I would be interested to see how he balances his church practices with his practice of law and how each influences the other.
Mark K. Matthews | Mmatthews@denverpost.com and John Frank | Jfrank@denverpost.com | The Denver Post. “What Neil Gorsuch’s Faith and Writings Could Say about His Approach to Religion on the Supreme Court.” The Denver Post. N.p., 12 Feb. 2017. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Religion as a Platform for Justice
Listening to everyone’s experiences within other styles of church services pointed out a lot of things that broke the “norms” that most are used to, especially having grown up in specific churches. One of the things that stood out to me most was the congregation whose leader was openly lesbian and who supported a church that was extremely inclusive no matter the walk of life one comes from. Majority of the time, I personally have come to find that religion isn’t exactly all that welcoming of differing practices in sexuality and certain churches are often even very segregated as to the demographics of the congregation. However, a openly lesbian rabbi in a New York City synagogue is fighting all of these “norms” by first, being open about her sexuality in general. To me this seems to be a growing trend with the upcoming generations and their religious experiences: people have come to make religious ideals and values to fit their own personal lifestyles which I think is an interesting take on religion and plays into the idea of spirituality that has become so popular. This New York City rabbi has held led and organized many protests through the church in regards to issues race and sexuality, most recently bringing together Jews and Muslims to protest Trump’s recent bans and orders and prides herself on leading a congregation for people who have been turned away from their family or from family synagogues due to their sexuality. I have found that it has been extremely common for people who have taken on new-wave roles within the church to use their religion and their position within their religion as a platform in order to fight intolerance, much like Sharon Kleinbaum.
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/outfront-lesbian-rabbi-fights-intolerance-love-n701151